“Union Ridge Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois” Book Has Been Added to Our Library’s Circulating Collection; Published By The Chicago Genealogical Society; Cemetery Is Located At 6700 W. Higgins

Our library has added Union Ridge Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois to our circulating collection. The book was published by the Chicago Genealogical society in 1995. It consists of 134 pages. It was added to our circulating collection in July 2012. The call number of the book in our library is ILLINOIS COLL 929.3 UNION. It is available to check out from our library.

The book includes some introductory information about the Norwood Park area of Chicago where the cemetery is located. There is some good historical information, including historical maps, of the cemetery. Here are some of the Introductory items contained in the book:

Early History of Norwood Park

Maps

The History of Union Ridge

1941 Map of Union Ridge Area

1917 rules & Regulations of Union Ridge

The Reading

Some Early Settlers in Cook County, IL

Civil War Burials in Union Ridge

Photographs

Abbreviations

The balance of the book consists of “Chapters” that are really listings of each of the individual sections of the cemetery and the names of those that are buried in those sections. There is burial name information for the 20 sections enumerated in the book.

The end of the book does contain an all-name index that will point you to where a person is buried. You do not have to know in advance where a person you seek is buried in order to find the details. The all-name index will lead you to the correct section.

At the end of the book you will also find the following “chapters’ that have been identified as:

Miscellaneous Stones Removed from Graves

Danish Old People’s Home Markers

Select Bibliography

On a personal level, the book interested me once I saw there was an “Early History of Norwood Park” section. My aunt was a nun within the Congregation of the Resurrection (C.R.). The “mother house” of this order was located in Norwood Park on Talcott Avenue. She was involved as a nun in that area from the 1920s through her death in the 1975 time period. So for me, I can gain some further insights perhaps about the mother house located in Norwood Park. If not, I will just know a little bit more of an area that played such a big part in my aunt’s life.

The beauty of books like this is not only the wonderful surname searching capability you can do but also all the little historical tidbits of information you can obtain about the cemetery and the area itself. You won’t know that is there just by looking at the title. That is why I feel good being able to note that such historical information is contained in this book over and above the listing of the deceased buried at this cemetery.

A big “thank you” is owed to the Chicago Genealogical Society and many of its members listed in the book that were so instrumental in doing the research at the cemetery, compiling the information on the grave sites and creating the all-name index that makes researching so easy to do.

I may not have anyone in my research that is buried at the cemetery, but I do note the value of the historical information provided on Norwood Park where my Aunt lived for so much of her life as a nun.

I do hope having this book in our collection can help with someone’s research on those buried at this cemetery.

The book is currently checked out to me. I should have it back on the shelves by about August 13th.